


clockwork little happiness

by 0plus2equals1



Category: Silent Hill (Video Game Series)
Genre: Light Dom/sub, Masochism, Mostly Pwp, Other, Spanking, by reader i mean gender neutral unspecified -they-, cilice use, some other brave soul just posted claudia x reader so i feel emboldened, takes place pre-silent hill 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-17 11:04:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20619989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0plus2equals1/pseuds/0plus2equals1
Summary: Claudia decides to mentor a new member of the Order. It probably won't end well.





	1. Chapter 1

They sit in a wooden chair while she kneels on the floor and prepares the cilice. She takes the edge of their skirt and folds it back, tucking the hem into their waistband, giving her a clear view while still maintaining their decency. She slips the interlocked metal rings up their leg until they come to rest where their thigh joins their hips.

The chain tightens, causing the pointed edges to dig into their upper thigh. Their breath catches in their throat. It’s a taut, pinching sort of pain, but the sight of her slender hands upon their knee causes warmth to blossom in their navel.

“Mortification,” Claudia murmurs, and the puff of her breath so close to their thigh causes their hair to stand on end. “To remind our bodies of the truth. There is no paradise without passion. There is no paradise without pain.”

Their face is flushing red as she turns her gaze towards them. They raise a hand to their mouth, fending off sudden embarrassment. Her eyes are inscrutable again. Her look pierces through them as she tilts her head and pulls on the chain once more.

A gasp escapes and they bite their knuckle to try and hide it. One of the pointed edges has pierced their skin, causing a droplet of blood to swell from the point like dew. 

“Now,” she says, a bit of lecture entering her tone, “it isn’t intended to be enjoyed.”

The sight of her hand holding the chain—the knowledge of her ability to pull, to hurt, to add to the deliciously piercing agony—is sending them reeling. They’re about to say something defensive when she tugs once more and the pain of it makes them gasp.

“Poor thing. How lost you must feel.” Her tone now edges more upon teasing. The tip of her finger, cold against their flushed skin, presses against the bead of blood. She pulls away and watches it well up again before lifting her finger to her lips.

They try to keep their voice from shaking. “I suppose I am grateful to have someone to guide me.”

She makes a faint, thoughtful noise. Her hand lowers from her mouth, the daub of blood now cleaned. “Would you like for me to guide you?”

“Yes.” Their answer is immediate. 

A smile flits across her face as she rests her head against their knee. “So eager.” Her lips brush against their skin. “You’re helpless.”

“Help me.” They lean forward as if to say something more but instead end up biting off a hiss of pain with gritted teeth. The blood slips down into rivulets and one gathers in a thick droplet before falling to the floor. After a few moments, Claudia’s grip relents and the chain loosens in increments. 

They let out a breath that they had no memory of holding as she fastens the cilice at a tightness that she must find satisfactory, for after doing so she stands and places a hand upon their head. “Come back tomorrow and I’ll take it off.”

They nod, still dazed, and idly pick at their waistband. “What time?”

“Same time.” She reaches down, untucks the fold in their skirt, and smooths the fabric back over their leg in order to cover the glinting metal. Her hand comes to rest on their knee. In turn, they lift their own, hesitate for a moment, but then gently place their fingers over hers.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> spanking ahoy

The cilice isn't quite enough. They say as much to her.  
  
“So you still feel guilt.”

Feeling the prick of tears, they nod.

Claudia is quiet, looking to the side as she mulls it over. They start to feel nervous as the silence begins to become oppressive. 

“Find a tree,” she finally says. “Take a branch close to the length of your arm that is thin and flexible. Cut it at its stem and strip it of leaves, then bring it to me.”

They open their mouth, then close it; the tight coil of anxiety in the pit of their stomach is still there, but it’s beginning to unwind into something warm. In the end, they simply nod and take their leave. 

It isn’t hard to find a suitable branch; a willow not far from their home is easy to cut and trim. They give it an experimental swing and it slices through the air with a whistle. They chew the inside of their cheek with growing embarrassment but clutch the switch tightly as they walk back to Claudia’s quarters.

She’s sitting at her desk and reading as they enter, but the book is quickly set to the side. She takes the switch, inspects it, finds it to be satisfactory, and rises from her seat. 

“Kneel and place your hands on the floor.”

They quickly comply, hoping that letting their head hang low between their arms will hide the color rising on their face.

“I am going to count to ten,” she explains. “Then you will tell me if you want to stop.”

They nod, realize that doesn’t look like much from their position, and then speak. “Okay.”

The first impact lands and they had been expecting it to be harsher. The next few follow along the same vein. As the count quickly reaches ten, they frown.

“Shall I stop?”

“No,” they reply quietly. “But…”

“Hm?”

“It doesn’t—it doesn’t feel like—it doesn’t hurt, much,” they explain.

“Your skirt softens the impact,” Claudia says flatly. “Shall I lift it?”

They have to keep themselves from stuttering. “Yes.” 

They can feel the chill of the air upon their thighs as the fabric is lifted. They close their eyes and try to hide the color deepening across their face. 

The first impact lands with a  _ thwip _ . The sting is far more pronounced now and they wince. The following hits are scattered, some landing harshly upon their thighs with others land more softly on their rear. Ten comes faster than they had expected.

“More?”

They take a moment to even out their breathing. “Yes.”

The whistle of the switch has them wincing even before the impact; this one must have landed on a previous welt because the pain of it makes them bite their tongue. They can tell that the last few break skin because they can feel the cold wetness of air on blood alongside the heat.

There’s a long silence. They cannot hear any movement behind them but they don’t want to hazard turning to look. They nearly jump out of their skin when her hands press against their hips. Her fingers hook beneath the waistband of their undergarments.

“Shall I continue?” she asks.

Their thoughts are hazy. A nod is thankfully enough. Her hands tug until the crumpled fabric rests tangled about their knees.

The switch now lands upon their freshly exposed rear. They have to bite back a yelp each time. Ten passes far too quickly. 

“More?”

“Please,” they answer, and with the next impact they  _ do  _ yelp. They answer her unspoken question preemptively. “Just—keep going. Please.”

Ten comes and goes. They’re under the impression that Claudia will stop only if they tell her to. Their arms are shaking and they can feel the slow trail that blood is making down their thighs. 

With the next impact, Claudia pauses and holds the switch against a welt. “Are you feeling pure now?”

They cannot answer. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem that she expects them to. She drags the curve of the switch along the length of the welt, causing them to shudder. 

“I think I know you well enough now to guess that perhaps you never shall.” Her fingertips briefly slide across a dripped line of blood before tapping against their hip thoughtfully. They can feel the tackiness of the drying blood with each tap, tap, tap. “I must then consider myself quite fortunate.”

They’re silent, expectant. The tip of the switch drags against their skin and slips between their legs. They can’t help but whimper as it presses against them.

Claudia  _ tsks _ and slowly pulls the switch back to wipe it off on their thighs. “Such a glutton for punishment that I’ve found.”

The heat kindles into shame. “Claudia, I—”

“Quiet.” She punctuates with the switch smacking lightly off their leg. “I’m more than willing to indulge you.”

The switch lands harshly. They can’t seem to reign in their racing thoughts. All of their awareness has constricted to the stinging pain and heat and gut-wrenching guilt that is beginning to make their stomach turn. They squeeze their eyes shut against the threat of tears.

Claudia must take notice of their distress because her hand quickly moves to run through their hair. She brushes the nape of their neck gently as their head hangs low and they try to modulate their breathing. Their throat is constricting with panic for reasons unknown to them. Claudia embraces them and murmurs reassurance and they collapse against her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's time to get. spooky

They think that they must be in their room with their eyes closed—no, there is light, just very dim—and must have fallen asleep while sitting—but their legs are cramped and bent beneath them and their hands—a short pole juts out from the floor and has a metal chain looped through a ring at the top, joining their cuffed wrists to their collared neck with a small amount of give in between. They pull back their hands without recognizing the connection and their neck is yanked downwards. They make a soft sound of surprise. They instinctively try to get on their feet but can manage no more than an awkward crouch before their hands are caught against the metal ring and their neck strains against the chain.

They force themselves to relax and try to remember how they got here. They went to visit Claudia for tea, as they usually did in the afternoons, and they drank a few cups of Earl Grey. They sat on her bed and she sat by her desk—they remembered making some furtive flirtatious comment and she  _ smiled _ , which made them nearly drown in their teacup out of surprise—but then things grew blurry.

As their eyes adjust to the nearly-nothing lighting they can begin to take in their surroundings. The floor is some sort of corrugated sheet metal. In front of them is a long dark hallway that looks dusty and abandoned. The walls at their sides are lined with cabinets, a few of them with doors that had half-fallen off the hinges. They cannot twist their head easily against the thick metal collar clamped around their throat and so the space behind them is still unknown.

They hear a loud thud from the end of the hallway and each of their nerves sends out a warning klaxon. They force themselves to look, to strain their eyes and see into the far-away shadows. There is something moving, shifting and easier to see peripherally, and their heart thuds with such force that they know it must be audible to the thing slowly approaching them.

In a panic, they tug against the restraints. The metal chain clinks loudly against the hoop. They grit their teeth and twist their hands against the cuffs. The edges bite harshly into their wrists but the chain does not budge.

The thing is closer and there’s flesh overflowing its limbs, a form that echoes human but was left to fester, and it has no mouth but their spine curdles at the instinct that they would merely be  _ engulfed _ —they tug against the chain in a fearful frenzy but only manage to wrench their neck downward in the process. 

An arm wraps around their shoulder and they shriek. A familiar voice speaks to them calmly, lowly, and they nearly cry from relief.

“Claudia, please, help, I don’t—” words tumble from their tightened throat as they tug against the chain in demonstration. “Please help me. I can’t, I can’t get this off, we have to get out of here.”

Claudia merely shushes them and pulls their head against her chest. Their eyebrows furrow in confusion and they weakly try to wriggle out of her grasp. Her fingers twine into their hair and they grow more still, but their chest still heaves with frightened gasps.

“You’re perfectly safe. Don’t be afraid.” Her hand pulls carefully, repositioning their head so that they are forced to stare at the hallway. They cry out and begin to shiver uncontrollably as the thing crosses the threshold of the room. They try to turn away and press their face against her but her grip on their hair is firm.

“Don’t turn away.” Her other hand rests on the nape of their neck and rubs reassuringly. “You’re safe. You’re safe.”

They sob in a desperate breath as the thing draws near. The overwhelming smell of blood and rot is a physical force that makes their neck strain with effort as they try to rear back. The air is hot and fetid. Their breathing grows rapid and shallow, each gulp of air feeling like a struggle to lift a heavy stone from their chest. They feel that if they do not breathe deep enough their ribs will surely crack.

The thing twitches under its own skin and moves in thick clogs of flesh. It ceases its forward movement when its skin presses up against the metal pole. They’ve backed away as far as possible, the collar digging into their neck, but Claudia guides them forward. They feel close to fainting but the idea of being unconscious and helpless around this creature sobers them with fear.

Claudia grasps their wrist and pulls, causing their head to bow low as she makes them reach forward. Bile rises in their throat as their fingertips brush against skin as soft and tacky as putty. As Claudia guides their hands down the flesh curves into an abrupt metallic jut and their hand is pressed against the vertex. Claudia holds them there until their breathing seems to level; they stop hyperventilating and instead merely sniffle and shake with souring adrenaline.

“There. No need to be afraid. You’re doing very well.” Claudia lets go of their wrist and removes her hand from their hair. Instead, she wraps one arm around their shoulder and lets them retreat from the creature as far as the short chain allows. They draw back slowly, lowering their shaking hands and tucking their head against her chest. They close their eyes and wait for their thoughts to stop ricocheting around their skull.

When they open their eyes the creature is gone and the room seems to have grown a little brighter. They feel their overwound muscles go slack and they lean heavily into Claudia’s side. She presses her lips against their cheek and they feel a warm shiver travel down their spine.  
  
"Well done," she says, and that is enough.

**Author's Note:**

> no i don't know why i'm Big Gay for claudia, either


End file.
